Designer's challenge
by eudyptulaminor
Summary: AUWritten before OotP There is no designing challenge, Its just the title! Harry's been gone for six years. Sirius and Remus hire an interior designer and who should show up but James Evans.
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: Don't own, don't sue.  
  
A/N: I don't really know about this. I kinda know where I wanna go, but read and tell me where you want me to go!! There will be Sirius/Remus and Ron/Hermione. Don't know who Harry should hook up with yet!! Tell me!! Tell me what you think and what I should do!!  
25-year-old James Evans sighed. He was up to his elbows in paperwork, and there didn't seem to be an end in sight. He looked up at the clock. 'Damn, it's only five.' James sighed again and went back to making the piles on his desk a little smaller. Three hours later there was a knock on the door. A woman of no more than 20 peaked her head in.  
  
"You're still here? Geez James, it's eight o'clock. Don't you think you should be getting home?"  
  
James looked up and smiled. "Probably, but right now I am in the middle of something. I would really prefer to finish it before I tear this place apart."  
  
The girl chuckled. She had only been working there a couple of months, but she already saw why every woman in the office wanted James to be in their bed. "Well, don't say I didn't warn you."  
  
"I won't. Eve, you can go home, you know. I'm just going to be a couple of more minutes."  
  
"Alright. See you in the morning," she said as she disappeared from sight. James shook his head and went back to what he was doing. Ten minutes later he was locking up his office and dropping a large stack of papers off at the front desk. Just as he was about to leave the office, his boss called him back.  
  
"Listen, James, do you know about the Black account?"  
  
"Isn't that the biggest deal this company has managed to secure?"  
  
"Right. Now, I know you have only been working here for six years, but I want you to head up the account. You have talent kid, pure talent. I don't know how you do it, but it's just what they're looking for."  
  
"But aren't there better people for the job? I mean, Laura and Jolie have more experience and are better suited for the task," pleaded James.  
  
"Listen, they saw the work you've done, and they want you. Listen, if it makes you feel any better, Maybelle will be going with you," James's boss said. He paused when he saw the look on James's face before continuing. "I would have thought you would have jumped at the chance to go back to London. Anyways, you leave in two weeks. The owners have sent over all the details. I'm still trying to organize them. They'll be on your desk in the morning. Now, go home and get some sleep. You're going to be very busy soon." With that, the elder gentleman grabbed his coat and briefcase and walked out the front door. With another sigh, James followed.  
  
*^*^*^  
  
Once home, James opened a bottle of beer and flopped down on the couch to try to drown his miseries. The thought of going back to London was bringing about some pretty unpleasant memories. The last time he was there, no, he didn't want to think about the last time he was there. That would only bring about the nightmares, and Merlin knows he had had a hell of a time getting rid of those. But the thought of going back to the country where he was born, the country he had grown up in, the country where he had bleed countless times, that was something that he had dreaded for six years. He left there for a reason. He had no intention of going back, but now it seemed fate was going to screw him once more. James finished his beer and after staring at the fridge for five minutes, decided that he should just go to bed and try to forget why he had left in the first place. 


	2. Chapter 2

James sighed. He had just gotten off the plane and was now trying to find someone named Adam. He had barley gotten any sleep on the plane, but not for lack of trying. The entire 15 hours that he was on the plane was filled with dread. Two weeks ago he knew that he really didn't want to come back to London. Now he knew that this was probably a really big mistake.  
  
"So, do you know where we are supposed to meet this Adam, James?" the woman walking with him asked.  
  
"No. But he will probably have a cute little sign telling us who exactly he is looking for," James answered. As they walked out of the terminal, they were greeted with many men and woman holding signs on who they were looking for. "See, I told you. There he is." He started walking over to a young looking man holding a sign that said 'Mr. Evans and Miss Carther.'  
  
"Are you Adam?" James asked.  
  
The man nodded. "Mr. Evans?" This time James nodded. "Do you have everything?" Another nod from James was his response. "Then follow me please."  
  
They followed Adam out of the airport and to a medium sized car. James guessed it was the company car, for it just had that vibe to it. Soon they were on the road and speeding towards the office in the heart of London.  
  
*^*^*^*  
  
"Ah, Mr. Evans. I can't tell you how glad I am that you are finally here. Our clients were getting quite anxious," a man in slacks and a semi- unbuttoned dress shirt said. He then turned to the woman. "Maybelle Carther. It has been too long. I am glad that you have decided to return to us here in London."  
  
"I got a little tired of driving on the right side of the road," was her reply before she gave the man a hug.  
  
"Always the jokester," he said with a smile before turning to James. "Listen, everything you need to know about the account is set up in your office for the time you will be here. And another account just came in. Not as big as the Black account, but still a prominent member of society. He wants you to be in charge. He saw your work and loved it. He did say that he could wait a while, so you can either wait until you are finished with the Black's, or work on it at the same time. The only problem is that it's in Surry and it's two houses. He wants his parents house done as well. He says it hasn't changed a bit in at least 25 years. A bit scary if you ask me."  
  
"Wait a minute. I just signed on for the Black account, and only because I was threatened to be fired if I didn't. I just want to finish and leave," James said.  
  
"Well, I could ask you really nicely, or I could threaten you as well. It's not that big of a deal. Only a couple of four bedrooms. Not as big as the Black house. Why do you want to leave so quickly anyways? I thought you were English?"  
  
"Oh, I am. I just have too many bad memories that I would rather not remember and people I would rather not see," James answered quietly. He quickly weighted his options. He really did want these accounts, but he really didn't want to stay in England anymore than he had to. "Fine, I'll take the account, but no more!"  
  
"Great, I knew you would. Listen, why don't you go and get started. Your hotel is right across the street, so when you finish here we can go and check you in," his 'new' boss said placing a hand on his shoulder. "Maybelle and I have some catching up to do and some paper work to fill out."  
  
James grabbed his bags and headed towards his temporary office. He placed his bags by the door and sat at the desk. He looked at the two binders sitting in front of him. One of them was a huge five-inch binder about half full while the other was a two-inch binder, barley full. He pushed the bigger one away and pulled the smaller one towards him. When he opened it up, he was shocked by the name that greeted him. It was a name he rather would have forgotten, but it seems that the past was going to haunt him on this trip.  
  
"How the hell did he get to be a lawyer?" James asked himself. And then he remembered the last summer that he saw him, the last summer that he actually had. That summer he had lost almost 300 pounds and was not longer pudgy. That summer he had told James that he was trying to turn his life around. He had told him that he wanted to be a lawyer, and by the looks of it, he had succeeded.  
  
James stopped reminiscing and looked at what his cousin wanted done to his house. Nothing fancy, nothing he couldn't handle. Simple elegance was what Dudley had said. Then he came to what Dudley wanted for his parent's house. He nearly laughed out loud as he read what his cousin had said. 'They are still living in the past. They hate change. They hate things to be different, out of the ordinary. There is one room in that house that I want to be so unusual, so weird, so not them, that it will make them think. I want them to have that room to pay them back for what they did to the occupant of that room. The rest of the house I just want to update, bring into the times.'  
  
After he read this, he sat back and thought. Things sure had changed. If his cousin had changed this much, he really didn't want to see how much everyone else had changed. He stood up and crossed to the wall that held a whiteboard on it and started to make notes and drawings. He would occasionally refer back to the notebook and would occasionally go to regular paper and pencil. An hour later a knock on the door startled him so much that his line now had a squiggle. "Come in," he said as he tried to fix his line.  
  
The door squeaked open and a voice said, "Mr. Evans?"  
  
"Yes, come on in. Have a seat," James answered with out looking up from his drawing.  
  
"My name is Dudley Dursley," the man said coming into the room. This made James look up. What he saw shocked him. Dudley was so different from what he remembered growing up. Dudley looked, well, fit. "I was told that you are the designer for my house and my parents."  
  
James cleared his throat. "Yes I am. I was just making some notes and drawings. If you want to look at what I have thought of so far, you can direct me in the right direction." James gestured towards the whiteboard, now covered with notes and pictures and taped up color splotches. He also gave Dudley the notebook of pictures that he had been working on. When Dudley came to the pictures of the room in his parent's house that he requested as weird, he gave a quiet chuckle.  
  
"Is there anything wrong, Mr. Dursley?" James asked, a little worried.  
  
"No, nothing. It is just that what you have designed for my parents here is perfect. I can't really tell you how perfect it is. It looks like you have a whole magical wonderland planned."  
  
"Yes I do. I thought it is unusual enough, hence the design."  
  
"You don't know how perfect this is," James heard Dudley whisper to himself.  
  
There was an uneasy silence as Dudley looked at the other drawings. By the time he had finished, there was a smile on his face. "They were right when saying you were good, maybe the best. Somehow you knew just what I wanted for every room. And even when I didn't know what I wanted."  
  
"I just went off what you had said, Mr. Dursley," James paused. "So, can you live with them, or should I go back to the drawing board?"  
  
"They're perfect. There are just a couple of minor things that need to be changed, but we can talk about that later. I just really came by today to see when you could get started. I didn't even expect you to have some drawings already."  
  
"I'm afraid that I probably won't be able to start for a couple months. I could probably do a couple rooms here and there, but not the entire house. How about we set up a meeting for about a couple weeks from now and see where everything stands?"  
  
"That would be perfect. I actually have a lot of work on my plate for the next couple of weeks, so when I get back to the office, I will have my secretary call you and make an appointment."  
  
"That sounds great. By then I should have the sketches finalized and everything ready for your approval."  
  
"Sounds good. Until then, Mr. Evans," Dudley said with a nod as he walked out the door.  
  
James let out a sigh of relief. He hadn't really expected Dudley to recognize him, but he was still worried. He looked into the mirror on the back of his door and tried to fix his now light brown hair. But there is not much you can do when your hair is only an inch long. He fingered where his trademark scar used to be and thought back to days when he still had it. He shook his head, trying to clear them of thoughts that he had been trying to forget for the past six years. He went back to his desk and now put away everything that he had been working on for his cousin and pulled the larger binder closer to him. This was going to be tough. It was a 26- bedroom house, complete with ballroom, poolroom, and just about everything else. To design this house, he had spent a couple days with a friend of his in Seattle, living in his mansion. And he still didn't have a good idea on which way to go. He didn't know if the owners wanted it warm and lived in, or impressive and rich. He just had the details of the house, not the conservations that helped him to gage what the owners wanted. So he had designed for both occurrences and was now going to see which one of them he would be showing the owners. But when he opened the notebook, his blood ran cold and his eyes opened wide.  
  
'Owners: Sirius Black and Remus Lupin' 


	3. Chapter 3

Sirius Black was a little upset. Remus was late. He was never late and Sirius knew that he should hear his explanation, but right now, he was upset. He sighed and looked at his watch again.  
  
"Getting a little impatient, Sirius?"  
  
Sirius looked up. "Finally! I've been waiting here for the past half hour!"  
  
"Not my fault. I'm only five minutes late," Remus answered with a smile.  
  
Sirius grumbled. "Well, lets get going. Our designer will be there at noon. I still can't believe you convinced me to hire an interior designer."  
  
"The house is so plain that it seems like a ghost house. Besides, you need this."  
  
"No, I need to find Harry. This is just a distraction."  
  
"A distraction that will work. Padfoot, you need to accept the fact that Harry is gone."  
  
"He is not dead."  
  
"I didn't say that. Maybe he left and he doesn't want to be found."  
  
"Or maybe he is wandering around, without a clue to who he is and if he has people who love him."  
  
Remus sighed. They had had this exact same conversation many times before. Ever since Voldermort had finally been defeated by Harry and he had somehow managed to disappear.  
  
Thirty minutes later, when they finally found their way home, there was someone standing outside their house looking at it and occasionally making notes in a binder in his lap.  
  
"Are you Mr. Evans?" Sirius asked.  
  
The man looked up with a start. Remus thought he saw shock, love, and sorrow in his eyes before he looked down and started to gather his things. "Yes, Mr. James Evans. Might you be Sirius Black and Remus Lupin?"  
  
"That would be us. Would you like to take a look around?" Remus asked, leading the way inside.  
  
"That would be great. Then I can see if I can interpret blueprints as well as I think I can," James said with a grin.  
  
"You already have some ideas?" Sirius asked.  
  
"Why of course. What kind of interior designer would I be if I didn't come prepared?" replied James.  
  
"But how do you know what we would like?" asked Sirius.  
  
"I don't know exactly what you want, but from reading the conversations that you had originally, I can get a pretty good idea. It's all about getting to know your clients."  
  
They fell into silence as James was shown around the house, occasionally taking notes. When they came back into the entry, James showed them some sketches that he already had. While they looked at those, James was busy working on others.  
  
"These are almost perfect. How did you know exactly what we wanted when we didn't even know ourselves?" Remus asked, looking up from the sketch of his room.  
  
James looked up and smiled. "That's my job. Predicting what the clients want even before they know what they want."  
  
"You know, you seem very familiar. Have we met before?" asked Remus, openly staring at James.  
  
James quickly looked down. "I don't think so. I would have remembered. Besides, I haven't been in England for six years."  
  
"Still, I feel that I've known you for years," Remus persisted.  
  
James remained silent. He went back to his idea for the nursery that they wanted. ("My godson's best friends come over a lot. They have a three year old and a one year old. They're also expecting another child. The kids gotta have a room that they can play in," was Sirius's exact words.) James knew exactly who those best friends were and exactly what they would want their children to be playing with and getting into. He also added what Sirius and Remus would be exposing them to, so in the end, the room was a mixture of colors, shapes, and surprises.  
  
"What room is that?" Sirius asked over his shoulder.  
  
James jumped and looked up. "Nursery."  
  
"What's that?" he asked pointing to one of the corners.  
  
"Play area. It is like a jungle gym, but not as high, safer, and a lot more fun. There is learning involved as well," James answered with a smile.  
  
Remus chucked. "Hermione would love that. I think her children will already know everything there is to know before they go to school."  
  
"Is that a chessboard on the floor?" Sirius interjected.  
  
"Yep. It is not quite life-size, but I guess to a two year old it is. It goes with the whole 'you can learn' theme but at the same time goes with the 'you can have fun' theme."  
  
This time Sirius laughed. "Now Ron is going to love that. He has already taught James, that's the three year old, how to play. He is a lot like his father in that aspect. He has already beat me twice."  
  
"But that's not too hard, Sirius. You've never beaten me at chess," Remus said.  
  
"That's not the point. He is only three!"  
  
"Anyways, I take it then that you like the room?" James interrupted before it could get ugly.  
  
"It's perfect. Even with a bookcase and study area," Sirius answered.  
  
"I like the study area," Remus said.  
  
"You would," retorted Sirius. They both looked back at the sketch and noticed something that they hadn't seen before. "What's that?" Sirius asked as he pointed to a corner.  
  
James looked at the corner in question before answering, "a mural."  
  
"What's the mural of?"  
  
James shuffled thought some of his papers before pulling out the one that had his design for the mural in question in larger detail. He handed it to Sirius who looked at it in amazement. "Where did you say you went to school?" asked Remus quietly.  
  
"I didn't. Why?"  
  
"This looks exactly like where we went to school."  
  
"Oh, well, I thought that the kids could have a place where they could just sit and relax, or at least their parents could. And I think that this is a very soothing image." James looked at his watch. "Listen, I have another appointment that I need to get to, so how about I leave you the rest of the sketches and you can look at them and see what you like or dislike. I'll be back tomorrow at the same time to go over all these with you and the ones that you don't like, I can quickly get something that you do like. If all goes well, we can start working Thursday. How does that sound?"  
  
"Sounds perfect. Well, see you tomorrow then," said Sirius.  
  
James handed all of his sketches to Remus. "I numbered each of the room on one of the floor plans that's in there. All the sketches should have a corresponding number on the corner. If I got what you wanted in one of the room switched with another, just put the room number that it should be next to the other number. See you tomorrow!" James then quickly left and climbed in his car. Once inside, he tried to calm down. 'Well, that wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.' He then started the car and left, tears streaming down his face.  
  
*^*^*^*^  
  
As soon as James had left, Remus turned to Sirius who was still staring at the mural their designer had drawn.  
  
"Siri?" asked Remus.  
  
"Its Hogwarts, Rem. He drew Hogwarts."  
  
"I know."  
  
"How could he have known what Hogwarts looks like?"  
  
"He could be a wizard, he probably saw it in a book or something."  
  
"And how does he know about the life-size chess pieces?"  
  
"Maybe he thought it would be a fun idea?"  
  
"Maybe. But I still get the feeling that he is very familiar."  
  
"So do I Padfoot, so do I."  
  
Remus and Sirius went into their very unfinished kitchen to look at the rest of the plans that James had drawn for them. While they were looking at all the different ideas, it was like they had sat down for hours and told their designer exactly what they saw for their house. There was not a single thing that they would change, especially not the 'mutt' room. (Dog beds, doghouses, dog bowls, ect.)  
  
"Is it just me, or is it a little scary that he knew exactly what we wanted without even meeting with us?" asked Sirius.  
  
"Its not just you. I think he was lying when he said that he said that we have never meet."  
  
"Well, lets talk to him tomorrow when he stops by. Until then." the animagus trailed off.  
  
"Until then what?" Remus asked.  
  
Sirius proceeded to show him what they could do until then by pressing his lips against his mates. 


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thank you so much for everyone who reviewed!! I felt loved!! Even with the semi-flame... I know I can't please everyone, so I just try to write for myself. It always seems to work. But I do really appreciate everyone's suggestions and do take them to heart. As you might see. ( There was something else, but I was distracted, so I forgot. Oops. Anyways, enjoy!!  
When James woke up the next morning, he knew something was off, but he couldn't quite figure out what it was. So, he took a shower, got dressed, and ate breakfast. When he looked at the clock sitting by his hotel bed, he sighed when he saw that he still had three hours before he was to meet his godfather and his godfather's best friend. He looked around the room and his eyes fell on his photo album, which he took with him on a whim.  
  
When he opened it up, he was immediately swamped with memories. Memories of Hogwarts, memories of his friends, memories of his so called family, and memories of his fame. He smiled when he remembered all the good times he had and his eyes became moist when he got to the end of his photo album; the reasons he left. The last picture in he came across was a week before he defeated Voldermort at the Burrow. Ron and Hermione had their arms around each other and would occasionally kiss, Fred and George where in the background playing pranks on their twin while Percy looked on in mild humor with his arm around his wife, Penelope, and Bill and Charlie had their arms around their youngest sibling, Ginny, while she tried to get free. Standing to the side, watching everyone in amusement, James saw himself; his untamable black hair sticking out in all directions, his emerald green eyes clouded in mixed emotions, and his short stature making him stick out in a sea of tall red heads.  
  
James closed his photo album and crossed to the mirror. When he saw himself, he cursed. His reflection showed what he truly looked like; black hair that was slightly more tamed than six years ago, emerald eyes that you could tell have seen pain and sorrow, and most of all, the scar that made him famous.  
  
He quickly grabbed his wand and uttered the glamour charm that was the only bit of magic he had been doing for the past six years. Now, when he looked in the mirror, he saw James Evans, not Harry Potter. James with his pale brown hair, hazel eyes, and most importantly, no scar. But these weren't the only differences between Harry and James, no, for Harry knew that anyone would recognize his face, even with different coloring. So, James had a slightly wider nose, a squarer chin complete with a clef, lower cheekbones, and a more oval face shape. It took Harry three months to get this face completely perfect. He figured Hermione would be proud.  
  
James then looked at the time, cursed once more (he was now running late) and bolted out the door.  
  
*^*^*^  
  
"Wow, these are great. And you said that he hadn't meet you before he drew these?" asked Hermione as they waited for the designer to show up.  
  
"Yeah, amazing, huh? Have you seen the nursery?" Sirius asked, obviously excited.  
  
"Only five times. It really is weird how he knew exactly what the four of us would want in the nursery," Ron answered as he looked at the plans for the kitchen. He looked up, "are these stars on the ceiling?"  
  
"Yes, I do believe that they are. I think it has something to do with the sun theme of the kitchen, day and night maybe?" Remus answered as he looked at the drawing of the entry.  
  
The conversation was halted as the doorbell rang. Remus left and quickly came back carrying a box and followed by a pair of legs and three boxes.  
  
"I didn't know that boxes could design," said Hermione as she looked up.  
  
"Apparently they can, rather well too."  
  
James slowly set the boxes on the table. 'I can do this. I can be James. I can be a professional,' he said to himself. "Hello, I'm James."  
  
"I'm Hermione, and this is Ron. Very nice to meet you."  
  
"Nice to meet you too. How about we get started, eh?"  
  
"I didn't know you were Canadian," stated Hermione.  
  
"Oh, I'm not. I just work with a very hyperactive Canadian who always says eh. It grows on you."  
  
"Where are you from? You don't sound English."  
  
"Actually, I was born and raised in England. I moved to the states about six years ago."  
  
"Where in the states?"  
  
"Portland, Oregon. But enough about me, how about we get started?"  
  
For the next six hours, James finalized the plans for every single room in his godfather's mansion. Not an easy feat let me tell you. With the final color splotch was decided upon, James started putting away everything they didn't destroy, I mean use.  
  
"So, when are we going to get started?" asked Remus.  
  
"I thought tomorrow morning we could start getting paints and the basics so we can get started in the afternoon. Does that work?"  
  
"Yeah. So, kitchen tomorrow?"  
  
"That's what we discussed."  
  
"I have a question though. You said that the theme for the kitchen was sunshine, but in one of the drawings you have stars on the ceiling. Actually, all the drawings have different ceilings," asked Remus.  
  
"Oh. That's because the ceiling is going to be charmed to reflect the weather outside."  
  
This statement was meet with four dropped jaws. "You're a wizard?"  
  
James raised one eyebrow. "Yeah. Why do you think I got this job? I'm the only wizard who works for the firm. I thought you knew that."  
  
"That would explain how you knew what Hogwarts looked like. Did you go there?"  
  
At this, James faltered. He REALLY didn't want to tell them he went there, because then they would ask more questions. So he told the truth, sort of. "No, I didn't."  
  
Hermione gave him a long, hard stare. "Are you sure? You don't look very familiar, but I feel like I've known you for years."  
  
James stayed silent.  
  
"Herm, I promised mum that we'd be there for dinner," Ron said, wisely breaking the uneasy silence that was building up.  
  
"Well, we'd better be off then. Siri, Remus, see you later? I'll stop by when the paint fumes are not as strong."  
  
"Give Molly and Arthur and your darlings our love," said Remus as he gave Hermione a kiss on the cheek.  
  
"I'll keep you informed on this newest lead. We might be getting close this time," said Ron right before they apperated.  
  
"I'm sure it's none of my business, but what are you getting close to?" asked James as he picked up the lone box he was taking home.  
  
"My godson disappeared about six years ago. We're still trying to find him," Sirius answered very dejectedly.  
  
"Oh, sorry. I hope you find him."  
  
"Thank you. I hope we do too. Life's just not the same without him." Sirius took a deep breath before continuing. "So, meet here at say eight?"  
  
"Sounds good. See you tomorrow then," James said before quickly walking out the door.  
  
*^*^*^*^  
  
The second James was safe in his hotel room, he collapsed in exhaustion. 'Well, that was stressful.'  
  
There were so many times when he just wanted to talk to Ron and Hermione like they had been friends for years. (Which they were, but they didn't know that. They thought that he was just a designer, which he also was.) Not for the first time, he wished it had been different, he wished that he had the courage to stay and face his family after what he did. It had been six years and he still couldn't face what he did. If he couldn't face himself, how could he expect the people he loved to face what he did?  
  
'Lets just stop that train of thought before it leaves the station.' For the next few hours, he sat in silence, thinking about, whatever. He came to one conclusion. 'I hope they do find me.'  
  
A/N: Next chapter I will try to have flashbacks and tell why he left and what happened. I'll see what happens. In one of the next few chapters I might even follow up on the lead. Hehe. You might also meet Ron and Hermione's children. And more Remus/Sirius. But it is not a major part of the story. I just can't help myself! I hate it when they are with anyone else. well that was a little lie. I'll try to update soon!! I don't have a midterm till next Friday (May 2), but I am going to a Mariners game this weekend!! Go Mariners!! Anyways. Have a good day! 


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: So sorry this is late! I was uninspired and really couldn't concentrate on anything! (Including the midterm I had coming up!) I do apologize.  
  
A/N 2: Something I think I should note. While I am still going to have Remus and Sirius together (as in slash gentle readers!), I will not go into details. Several reasons: not really crucial to the plot, I am actually in a giving mood and thought that I should be nice to ALL my readers, and I'm not quite sure that I'm that good of writing that sorta thing. It will be mentioned and there may be kissing, but not that much, more like a gentle breeze in the background. Just thought you should know.  
  
Thanks to reviewers:  
  
Freda Potter  
  
Book Master 3000  
  
Ameve-chan  
  
Lizzie24  
  
thewalrus  
  
lizzypadfoot  
  
julie  
  
darkphenix - I didn't think your review was the semi-flame.. Now that I think about it, I really can't remember which one was. It could have just been my frame of mind at the time.  
  
Minerva-Severus-Dumbledor  
  
Mynaulth  
  
CrazyCruciatedDeathEater  
  
Zeva Blackrose  
  
athena kitty  
  
^*^*^  
  
It was eight o'clock the next morning when Remus and Sirius were awoken by a very hyper (blame the latte's, they grow on a person after living in the northwest for six years) designer. It was nine o'clock when they finally arrived at the local home improvement store.  
  
"So, do you want to get everything for the kitchen while we're out and about, or do you want to get the painting finished before we do anything else?" asked James as he finished putting in the order for the paint they would need, not only for the kitchen, but also for several other rooms.  
  
"I would actually like to get as much painting done as soon as possible so Hermione can come over and see the progress. Can we do that? Paint as many rooms as possible before we start putting things in?" asked Sirius.  
  
"We can. I wouldn't recommend it."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"After doing nothing but painting for five days straight, you get a little sick and tired of it. What we can do, however, is have several rooms being worked on at once." James paused as he was given several gallons of paint for the kitchen. "Or, you could just hire professional painters to paint all the rooms at once. It would save a lot of time."  
  
"No. I don't want strange people trampling though my house. And I want to paint," whined the animagus.  
  
James looked at the silent werewolf in disbelieve.  
  
"Don't look at me! He watched one episode of Changing Rooms and got it in his head that he could do that. But, being Sirius, he had to do it slightly different."  
  
"Oh, you mean with not actually changing rooms, hiring a designer, and doing the entire house?"  
  
Remus smiled. "Exaclty."  
  
"So, do I get to work with power tools?" Sirius innocently asked.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
It was late afternoon when the three weary shoppers made it back to Mutt's Domain. (When James heard that they wanted a sign sitting in their front lawn that said that, he had to step outside to 'view the best place to put the sign.' In reality, he was trying very hard to not burst into laughter. It was all about the way his godfather said it. So, innocent, but with a devil like glint in his eyes.)  
  
The first thing they saw when they stepped inside, arms full of stuff, was a blonde head of hair talking to a red head of hair with a small child of one asleep in the arms of the red head.  
  
"Ron, Draco? What are you guys doing here?" asked Remus as they all set their load down by the front door.  
  
"You know that lead I was telling you about yesterday? Turns out it was true. We now know where Harry disappeared off to and possibly where he is living now," answered Ron.  
  
"Only problem is, if he changed his name or appearance, we're going to have a hell of a time. Especially since we really have no jurisdiction there and have no idea about the area or anything," added Draco.  
  
"Well?"  
  
"Well what?"  
  
"Where did he go and where is he now?" Sirius practically shouted.  
  
"I was getting there. Seamus and I leave tonight for the states. West coast if I'm not mistaken. I think Seamus was going on about how he could actually have some decent coffee, not quite sure about that one. Not that he needs the damn stuff anyways," Draco answered.  
  
"Draco, if Aubrey wasn't in the room, I would be cursing you to hell and back right now. Where. Exactly. Are. You. Going."  
  
"What about new guy? You would curse me in front of a Muggle?"  
  
At this, James spoke up, "I'm not a Muggle. Actually, I should get going. Do you need any help unloading the rest of the paint?"  
  
"No, we should be fine. Eight tomorrow to start painting?" answered Remus.  
  
"Sounds like a plan. See you then." James then tried to make a quick exit, but was stopped by a godfather on a mission.  
  
"Wait, didn't you say you were from the states?"  
  
"Siri, the states is a big place," the amused werewolf said.  
  
"Yeah, but he said he was from, where was it again?" Sirius asked as he turned to James.  
  
"Portland, Oregon."  
  
"And isn't that on the west coast?"  
  
"Actually, I think that's where Harry is rumored to currently be living. In any case, that's where we're headed," interjected Draco.  
  
"See, you can ask James."  
  
"Portland's pretty big," James said rather quietly.  
  
Draco sighed. There was nothing this man wouldn't do to find his godson. The wizarding world almost felt the same way. Hence why there was currently five people assigned for the past six years to find him. After all, you can't properly celebrate with out your hero. "Fine. James, do you know anyone named Harry Potter? He has black, messy hair, emerald green eyes, and a lighting bolt scar on his forehead. Sound familiar?"  
  
James didn't answer for a second. To those around him, it seemed as though he was thinking, when in reality, he was trying hard not to smile and let out a slight chuckle. "No."  
  
"Are you satisfied, Sirius?"  
  
"I won't be satisfied until he is standing right in front of me," was the answer.  
  
'If you turn a little to your left, I'm sure that can be arranged,' James wanted to say, but because he was also trying desperately not to laugh, didn't. (And also the fact that he didn't really want to be found at that particular second. He still had work to do.)  
  
"I have a meeting with the director this evening. I really do need to get going," said James.  
  
The standard goodbyes were said and James finally was able to escape and let out the laughs that he had been holding in. 'That was just surreal. No other word for it,' he thought.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
After meeting with his boss for a while, he walked across the street to his hotel room. Once there, he started figuring out his schedule. The way he figured, without any delays, he could be back home in three months. And then he remembered that he also had to design his cousin's house. He sighed and allotted another month. 'At least Dudley will probably want to hire professional painters and not make me do all the work by hand,' was the positive thought. Not that he didn't enjoy it. This was something he hadn't done in a while; actually getting involved in a room he designed.  
  
James got everything ready for the next day and crawled into bed and hoped for a dreamless night. But it seemed as though his past still wanted to haunt him. For when he dreamed, he dreamed of the reason he left, the reason why he couldn't face his family, his friends, and his world. He dreamed of when he defeated Voldermort.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
The battle had been going on for hours. Both sides were taking losses. From where he stood, he couldn't tell if they were dying, or just being stunned, or were just falling from exhaustion. Whatever the case, there were more bodies lying on the ground than there were standing.  
  
Harry himself had yet to get involved in the fight. Not because he didn't want to, because he did want to go down there and help his friends, do his part, but because he was trapped on this damned hilltop, waiting.  
  
'If Tom doesn't get here soon, I think I just might take up knitting,' he thought as he saw the number of people standing dwindle still. By now he knew that some were dropping from exhaustion because he had just seen someone fall when there was no one around him. 'Damn it Tom. You've been trying to kill me for the past seven years. And now, when you have the perfect opportunity, you don't show up. How typical.'  
  
Harry's thoughts were interrupted when the person that had made his life a living hell for the past three years finally showed up.  
  
"And here I was, thinking that you wouldn't show up. This is not like you Tom. I would have thought you would have been here hours ago."  
  
"I was a little preoccupied. But I won't keep you waiting from meeting your parents any longer. Avada Kedavra," Voldermort calmly said.  
  
The curse hit Harry square in the chest. He didn't even try to move or block it. He just took it. And he stood standing.  
  
"Tom, you should know by now that you can't kill me that way. You've tried how many times now? I think this would bring the total up to four. You had better hope this one leaves a different scar. I'm getting sick of lightning bolts."  
  
Voldermort was flabbergasted. Granted, this was the fourth time that the Killing Curse had hit the Gryffindor brat by his wand, but it was still surprising. He was so flabbergasted that he never noticed when Harry unsheathed Gryffindor's sword and ran it though his heart, successfully killing him and banishing his soul to hell.  
  
It was probably a good thing that he died almost instantly; for then he didn't have to feel the blade cut though his flesh, again and again. He didn't have to feel when his limbs where almost severed from his body. He didn't have to feel when his head was disconnected from his remains. He didn't have to live with the aftermath of a barely recognizable corpse. For Tom Riddle was dead and gone, his soul currently residing in the depths of hell for all eternity.  
  
But Harry had to live with it. What he couldn't live with was his friends' reactions to what he had done. He couldn't live with the wizarding world thinking he was anything less than a hero, because he had grown used to the idea that everyone needed someone to find hope in, and he was where they found that hope. He couldn't let that many people down. He couldn't let them loose their hope. So he left.  
  
Three months later, Harry Potter was only a memory and James Evans was born from his ashes.  
  
A/N: I know that didn't really seem like a dream, but I think it went rather well. You now know the reason he left (sorry if you think it's a little pitiful). As I was writing this, I just thought of a major plot twist. Its great. I'm undecided as to whether I will actually use it or not. But be warned! ( 


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: This chapter turned out a little longer than I thought it would. Oh well, life goes on. Oh, and this is to Freda Potter (I forgot to say this last chapter!!), I'm not a designer. I just watch lots and lots of Trading Spaces, Changing Rooms, and While You Were Out. Great shows, great shows.  
  
Thanks to my chapter five reviewers:  
  
Erika  
  
Pixyfairy120  
  
Beanie  
  
Darkphoenix  
  
Minerva-severus-dumbledor  
  
Anaxandra  
  
Harry's Sister  
  
^*^*^*^  
  
The next few weeks passed by with the speed of a sloth for James. He would go to Mutt's Domain, fix Sirius's mistakes from the previous night (when he tried to do something himself that he really shouldn't have), listen as they told him about what Draco and Seamus were finding out (the letters came daily), and all the while attempt to quickly finish his work.  
  
He left Remus with specific instructions not to let Sirius do anything. They had finished the kitchen, entry, a few bathrooms, and a den earlier in the week and were currently working on finishing the dining room (the ceiling had to set before they could paint it), the library (the shelves were primed, they just had to paint them), the sun room (the new windows hadn't arrived yet), and a few spare rooms.  
  
So it was no surprise that he was actually excited about working on his cousin's house. He had sent his designs away a week ago and they had been approved almost the same day. So the rest of the week was spent finding everything he would need, between the work on Mutt's Domain, of course.  
  
James arrived at Dudley's house to see a professional painting truck sitting in the drive. 'This is nice.' He also saw a moving company's van on the street in front of the house. 'Even nicer.'  
  
"Ah, James! There you are! I hope you don't mind, but I hired professional painters and movers to help," Dudley said as he crossed towards him.  
  
"I don't mind at all. This is a great help. I might be finished a few days earlier now. Thanks."  
  
"No problem. You also said something about having to make some of the furniture, didn't you?"  
  
"Yes, some of the shelves and tables have to be custom made," answered James, wondering where this was going.  
  
"Oh, good. One of my friends, who happens to be a bloody good carpenter is coming over later today and tomorrow to help. Hope you don't mind."  
  
"Not at all. While I can work the necessary tools, I am not the best."  
  
"Everything you ordered arrived. I'll be at my office if you need me for anything and I'll be back around eight."  
  
"Great. I actually plan on leaving at about seven."  
  
"Well then. I'll leave you to it then?" James nodded. "Oh, and when can you start work on my parents house? I was going to send them to France while it was being worked on."  
  
"I would have said next week, but with all this help, I think I can actually start on Thursday or Friday and finish in the middle of next week."  
  
"Great. I'll stop by their house on the way home then and tell them about the trip. Mum will love it." With that, Dudley got into his car and speed off.  
  
For the first time in two weeks, the day actually passed by quickly. With all the extra help, he was able to get all the painting done in all but two rooms. And those were the two rooms where an extra coat of paint was needed. Other than that, the only thing that was accomplished was that everything for the rooms was in the rooms where they were needed.  
  
But the greatest surprise of the day was waiting for him when he got back to his hotel room. There, sitting on his bed, flipping though the channels on the telly was none other than Draco Malfoy.  
  
"Can I help you?" asked a very surprised James.  
  
"Do you know someone named Lois Westly?" asked a calm Draco.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Just wondering," was the reply as the changed the channel, yet again.  
  
"She lives across the hall from me. I watch her twins for her every once and a while. Has something happened to her or to Dylan and Nicole?" James was now worried. She was his first friend he had in the states. He was there for the birth of her twins and had watched them grow up. He had to keep telling himself that he didn't love her, only to have it backfire in his face every time he saw her smile. James was broken out of his thoughts by Draco.  
  
"No, their fine. Is she trust worthy?" asked Draco as he stood up and turned off the telly.  
  
"Of course. I would trust her with my life. Does this have anything to do with finding Sirius' godson?"  
  
Draco nodded. "Just following up on some leads. I found some one who has also been lost, well, not really, we knew where she was and everything, but we haven't seen her in six years. Well, I must be off. There is something that Sirius and Remus really need to hear."  
  
"I don't mean to pry, but what?"  
  
"Apparently their beloved godson is a father." Draco noted the widening eyes of the man standing before him before he left with a pop.  
  
The second the blonde left, James collapsed onto his bed. 'Father? What? Huh?' That seemed to be all his brain could accomplish at the moment.  
  
Several hours later, James was still sitting in his stupor when the phone rang.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"James! Great news! You know my godson that I've been looking for?" Without waiting for a reply, the excited animagus continued, "Well, we just found out that he has kids! Them and their mum are moving back to England and we have to make them rooms. So we need to change some of the rooms. I hope this isn't a problem."  
  
"No problem. I'll stop by tomorrow evening to go over the new rooms. Hopefully we can have new designs before midnight."  
  
"Great! Oh, this also means that the house has to be finished by the time they get here, but they won't be here for two months, so I think we'll be fine. I've rounded up some help, so hopefully that helps."  
  
"That should work." Just then there was a knock on the door. "Listen, there's someone at the door and I'm going to be having a busy day tomorrow, so I need to get some sleep."  
  
"Oh, alright, see you tomorrow." Sirius hung up before James could even reply. James stared at the phone before another knock on the door broke him out of his stupor. Getting up, he opened the door to a bellboy holding a letter.  
  
"This just came for you sir."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
James took the letter and immediately ripped it open. It was a letter from Lois. 'That's an amazing coincidence.'  
  
"James, how have you been? It's been really quiet here without you riling up the kids. They send their love, well; rather, I send their love. They just want to know when you'll be back to make them new toys and take them to the zoo like you promised. They are still talking about all the fun you had when you took them to OMSI.  
  
"Well, there is some bad news, or good news, depending on how you want to look at it. I'm moving back to England. I figure that Dylan and Nicole should know their family. Plus I just got a really good job offer. Double the pay. We'll be moving in two months. We might be able to see you in London, or if you're back before then, well, I guess we'll see you at home. Maybe you could get a job transfer to the London office? I know that you travel a lot anyways, so it wouldn't be that big of a deal.  
  
"I hope you're having a blast in London, getting reunited with your family, or maybe not. I don't really know what happened there, but I just realized that family is everything. They never turn their backs on you, no matter what you did or do. Even if you were to kill someone, they would still forgive you. Love, Lois  
  
"PS, Nicole wants to know if she should wear the green or blue dress for her school pictures. I thought she should wear the green one because it matches her eyes, but she wants your opinion. Also, Dylan wants to know if he should wear the blue shirt or the maroon one. Again, I told him the blue one would work better with his complexion. He looked at me funny and then said he wanted your opinion."  
  
James chuckled (because men NEVER giggle) at the ps and got out some paper to write his response.  
  
"Lois, It was great to hear from you. I was missing home and those monsters you call children. Tell them that next time I see them I'll take them to the zoo. And about OMSI, ask Dylan why he came home in different clothes then he left in. There should be a story about boats and water and falling in the said water to reach the said boats. We almost got kicked out for that. I'm not serious about that by the way, but we did get some glares from other parents whose kids got splashed.  
  
"The bit about you moving to England is actually great news, well, to me at least. See, Bruce just hired someone for my job back in Portland. Apparently I was traveling too much and he wanted someone who was 'more stable.' That means that I got transferred here to the London office because they are the main office and a majority of the people who travel for work are stationed here. So I'm stuck in jolly old England. I was looking for apartments last weekend. I'm in no rush however because I have this hotel room for three months. Oh, and while we're on the topic, I'll be coming back in about three weeks to clean out the apartment and sell things that I really don't need. (I won't be taking the kids to the zoo then. I only have a few days to get everything done.)  
  
"And the part about my family. Well, you'll never believe me when I say this. I'm designing a house for my cousin and my aunt and uncle! My cousin sure has changed. He's actually nice and he's fit! I couldn't believe it! As you can tell, I'm shocked. I've also seen a few of my friends and other family. I think everything might just work out. I've almost gotten to the point where I've forgiven myself for what I did. It has been six years.  
  
"Keep the kids in line and give them hugs and kisses for me. Love, James  
  
"PS, tell Nicole that she should wear the green dress. If it's the one I'm thinking of, she should also put her hair in a braid. And tell Dylan that he should think about the black shirt I got for him a while ago. It would go well with his red hair and green eyes, hence the reason I bought it!"  
  
James went down to the front desk to get his letter in the mail tomorrow and then went back upstairs to fall into a dreamless sleep.  
  
^*^*^*^*  
  
It was around eight o'clock when James finally arrived at Mutt's Domain. Inside the newly finished kitchen (which was getting fantastic reviews, the design, not the food) was the entire Weasley clan and their respective spouses and children.  
  
"James!" shouted Sirius when he noticed the designer standing the doorway, looking like he wasn't sure if he wanted to run or fade into nothingness. Especially since now everyone was looking at him.  
  
"You wanted to go over the new designs?" James asked quietly.  
  
"Right. Remus darling," Sirius said as he gave his mate a kiss on the cheek. "Wanna come?"  
  
"Its my house too, Paddy."  
  
"Of course."  
  
"May Ron and I come as well?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
The five of them went into the also newly finished den and settled in.  
  
"Which rooms did you want to change?" asked James as he got out a sketchpad and his binder.  
  
"A few of the spare rooms. The ones that really didn't have any thing going for them. Do you know which room's I'm talking about?" asked Remus.  
  
"I think so. The ones that are just a color. Like the blue room, the green room, and that weird one that I really don't know what I was thinking."  
  
"Yeah. Except we like the last one you mentioned."  
  
"I still can't believe you guys like that room. It looks like a jungle!" exclaimed Ron.  
  
"Maybe that's why they like it," Hermione patiently said to her husband.  
  
"It's a room that I don't think you can ever grow tired of. It looks really busy. Plus, by the looks of things, it will be a great room to play hide-and-seek," explained Sirius.  
  
"I think while I was designing that room, I was babysitting the kids across the hall and they were playing hide-and-seek with each other. There aren't many good places to hide in my apartment. They were kind of angry with me for that. That might have been the reasoning behind that. Every kid should have a room to play hide-and-seek."  
  
"Hm, sounds good. Anyways. The green room and the blue room, those are the two rooms that we want redesigned for the kids," said Remus.  
  
"Ages? Male/female?"  
  
"Twins age six. One boy, one girl," Ron said.  
  
"That should be easy. I know a pair of twins that are six. Do you know what the kids are like?"  
  
"Uh, considering the fact that we just found out they exist yesterday, I'm gonna go with no."  
  
"Well then. I'll just go by what my neighbors would like in a room. Does that sound alright?"  
  
"Sounds great. Well, we've gotta get back to the party."  
  
"I'll come in when I'm done and see what you think," said James as he started to get to work. He didn't even notice when they left for he was too involved in his design and what he thought Dylan and Nicole would like.  
  
When he finished two hours later, he was pretty impressed with himself. For the boy's room, he had pale blue walls with a full mural of the ocean on one wall. The bed was a rich maple captain's bed with blue and white- stripped bedding. The light hanging from the ceiling was a lighthouse that was upside down. There was a bookcase made of the same maple as the bed that looked like the bow of a boat and a play area that had a boat with oars attached. The dresser, also made of maple, was decorated with animals that you would find in the tide pools: sea urchins, starfish, clams, and barnacles. It was meant to capture the spirit of the ocean and that's exactly what it did. 'To bad Lois would never let me do this for Dylan, he would love this.' (The four of them were always going to the ocean because of the six year olds fascination for it.)  
  
The girl's room didn't give you the impression that it was for a girl, but if you were to look at the details, there would be no doubt what gender this room was meant for. The walls were several shades darker than the other room, making it more of a sky blue. Near the top of the walls, there were clouds all around and in one corner; there was the impression of sunlight streaming from behind the clouds. The bed was a pale birch four half poster (where the posts didn't go to the ceiling) with bedding that was the same color as the walls and also had clouds. The shelf in the room was made of the same birch as the bed and the top had the same 'saw- toothed' appearance that is so common on castles. The dresser, also made of birch, had dragons, phoenixes, flying horses, and other fanciful flying creatures (and some regular birds that looked quite nice). A 'castle' wall that had shelves on the inside of the wall and a small table designated the play area. 'I hope Lois will let me design their rooms when the move back to England. This is perfect for Nicole.'  
  
James smiled at the thought and went to go show off his designs that he was quite proud of. They were both a hit. In fact, Bill, Charlie, Percy, and Ron and Hermione (who wanted to anyways) all wanted James to design a few rooms in their house. He gave them the number to his office and said, "Just to let you know, I refuse to design a room around the color orange" with a look at Ron.  
  
Everyone laughed at Ron's 'innocent' face. "What? I never said anything about orange."  
  
"But we know you were thinking it. Good think Hermione is there or else every room in your house would be a shrine to the Chuddly Cannons," said Charlie with a grin.  
  
"Okay, you got me. I was so close to having James' room orange too! But then I came home to a yellow room."  
  
"Yellows pretty close to orange," reminded James.  
  
"Yeah, I know. But at least it wasn't green," Ron said with a shudder.  
  
"Green is a perfectly good color. There is nothing wrong with green. I'll have you know it's my favorite color," James said with indignation.  
  
"Green is the Slythern color!" whined Ron.  
  
James was trying not to laugh with the rest of the family, but he couldn't keep the amused look off his face. Which, unfortunately, Hermione noticed.  
  
"James, I thought you didn't go to Hogwarts," Hermione said.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"You seem to know about Slythern and the house feuds."  
  
"Hermione, you can know all about that without going to Hogwarts. After all, there is 'Hogwarts, a History.' And he could have known someone who went there and told him about the feud," said Remus.  
  
James just smiled. He could tell that Hermione really didn't believe that he didn't go to Hogwarts. But she couldn't think of who he would be if he did. He seemed to be her age, but then there was the fact that he didn't look like anyone she knew.  
  
"I have to get going. I'm working on the finishing touches on another house tomorrow and that's always stressful." James said his goodbyes to everyone and quickly drove back to the hotel.  
  
He fell asleep that night dreaming of all the great times that he had with the Weasleys.  
  
A/N: I did decide to add the plot twist. Any guesses on what it is? Hehe. 


	7. chapter 7

A/N: First of all, I want to thank every single person who has reviewed. I have never felt so loved in my life!! I love you all!! **Blows kisses**  
  
Plot twist half answered in this chapter!!  
  
A/N2: Second, thank you to reviewers of chapter 6.  
  
A.Dee - I'm trying not to focus on the slash, its just background noise.  
  
Darkphoenix  
  
Lucy Snape  
  
Shichan Goddess  
  
Erika - who says that he isn't a dad?  
  
Oceanic - Harry/James is currently not married. Read this chapter!!  
  
Mich  
  
Nikki  
  
BookMaster3000  
  
Lil Lupin  
  
Harry's Sister  
  
Lunablue  
  
Minerva-Severus-Dumbledor  
  
Pixyfairy120  
  
Katie-Catherine - I actually took what you said to heart! I was wondering how I was going to have him 'exposed' and then your review came in!! Thanks a bundle!!  
  
^*^*^*^  
  
The next day, James woke up later than he had planned. He quickly took a shower and thought about apperating. Until he realized that everyone would be on him like a pack of wolves. So he resigned on being late. 'At least I don't have a lot to do today,' he thought.  
  
He arrived at his cousin's house a little after nine and started work immediately. Even though he knew he didn't have a lot to do, he was still amazed when he finished at one.  
  
"Well, now what?" James asked himself. He called Dudley to tell him that he had finished and would be starting his parents house the next day. After that, he sat in his car wondering what he could do for the rest of the afternoon. In the end, he drove back to his office and decided just to design rooms for no particular reason.  
  
He was half way finished with a room inspired by Ancient Egypt (which he thought Bill would love) when there was a knock on his door.  
  
"Come in," he said without even looking up.  
  
"James, there are some people here to see you," Maybelle said without opening the door.  
  
"So, let them in." James still didn't look up. He was on a roll. Plus, he was trying to ignore the feeling that something was a little off.  
  
The door opened to admit four people. "Did you die your hair last night?"  
  
"What?" asked James as he looked up to see Ron, Hermione, Remus, and Sirius sitting in front of him.  
  
"Did you die your hair last night? It looks a little darker than it did last night," Hermione asked again.  
  
James looked over at the mirror and almost cursed out loud. His glamour charm was wearing off. He would have remembered to reapply it this morning, but he was running late. "It must be the lighting. What can I help you guys with?"  
  
"We want you do design our kids rooms. We love the rooms you did last night and you seem to have a thing for designing rooms for children. What do you say?" asked Hermione.  
  
"Right now I have two houses that I am working on and the rules of the company say that I can only be working with two clients at a time. I can design the rooms for you, but I cannot help you in putting them together right now," stated James.  
  
"Oh, we're not in a hurry, we were just wondering if you could do it for us at a later date. We have too much on our plates right now to worry about it. My sister is coming home in a few months so we have to help her and get everything ready," retorted Ron.  
  
"Your sister?" asked James. 'Ginny's coming back? She left?'  
  
"Yeah, I have a younger sister named Ginny who has been living in the states for the past six years. Her and her kids are coming back for good in two months."  
  
"Kids?" James couldn't help but say.  
  
"Yeah, that's who those rooms you designed last night are for. What are their names again, hun?" Ron asked his wife.  
  
"Honestly Ron. You can't remember your own niece and nephew's names!"  
  
"I've only heard them once!"  
  
Beside the arguing couple, Remus and Sirius rolled their eyes.  
  
"Their names are Dylan and Nicole," Remus said, effectively putting a stop to the argument before it could get any worse.  
  
The second James heard that, his heart stopped. 'It can't be. Coincidence. After all, there must be loads of kids with those names.'  
  
'But how many are six year old twins?'  
  
Before he could stop himself, James found himself asking, "Where in the states have they been living?"  
  
"Actually, the same place as you. Portland, Oregon," answered Ron.  
  
Hermione was the only one to notice when James stopped breathing. She was determined to get to the bottom of this without these 'men' around.  
  
"Well, we really should be going. I'll meet you guys back at Mutts?" asked Hermione.  
  
"Where are you going?" asked her husband.  
  
"I want to talk to James for a little more while. Don't worry about me. And put James and Aubrey down for their naps."  
  
"Yes ma'am," smirked Ron before he leaned over to give Hermione a kiss. The three men left and Hermione turned to James who was currently banging his head against his desk muttering incoherently.  
  
"Is there something wrong?" Hermione asked sweetly.  
  
Another bang of the head.  
  
"James?" She was getting a little worried now. Why exactly would he be banging his head over the news that Ginny was coming back?  
  
"James?"  
  
He looked up and Hermione swore that his eyes were green for a second. "My life is falling apart before my eyes," he said before he resumed banging his head against the desk.  
  
"What happened?"  
  
James looked up again. This time there was no doubt that his eyes were green.  
  
"Uh, James? Your eyes are green."  
  
James looked over at the mirror and said, "Huh, so they are. Hermione, can I ask you something?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
"What do you think of what happened to Voldermort?"  
  
"I think he deserved it."  
  
"You think he deserved to get cut to shreds?" James asked a little disbelieving.  
  
"Of course. If Harry hadn't done it, I know many other wizards who would have." Hermione's eyes went wide as she just realized something. "That must be why he left! He thought we couldn't accept what he did! Oh Harry." She then put her head in her hands and started to cry softly.  
  
James watched in amazement before he went and sat next to his best friend. He put his arms around her and said, "He just couldn't let everyone's hope die. He wanted everyone to live with the good memories of him."  
  
Hermione looked up to see the green eyes of the man she hadn't seen in six years. "Harry?"  
  
She received a smile as an answer. "I'm through hiding. Well, not really. I don't think I really want anyone else to know yet. And I have to ask someone a question."  
  
"Is that really you Harry?" asked a still disbelieving Hermione.  
  
"Its me, Herm. Can I ask you to keep it a secret until next weekend?"  
  
"How can you ask that of me? It's been six years!" shrieked the pregnant witch.  
  
"Then another week and a half won't make much of a difference," Harry calmly said.  
  
Hermione just gaped like a fish.  
  
"Please Hermione. I might bring you back a present," he bribed.  
  
"Fine. But you had better tell them next weekend."  
  
"I plan on it. I'll be back Sunday evening. See if you can gather them at Siri's?"  
  
"I'll try." She then gave Harry a huge hug. "Its good to have you back. We've missed you."  
  
"I'll be back. And now I can't hide anymore. You had better go before they start to wonder."  
  
"See you next weekend," Hermione said as she left.  
  
As soon as she left, Harry crossed to his desk and started to write another letter to Lois.  
  
"Lois, I have a few questions to ask you. First of all, do you think you can be ready to move to England when I come back next weekend? I ran into your family and I told them I'd do what I could to convince you to come back early. And you know me; I'm a man of my word. Plus the fact that I really miss you guys.  
  
"For the next question, I'll give you a little time to answer. I'll ask you again when I see you in person. Ginny Weasley, will you marry me?  
  
"And now you're wondering how I know who you are. Well, I'm a genus. Now that you're finished laughing, I actually did put all the pieces together on my own. I've loved you for years, but I thought that it would be cheating you, well, you. So I did nothing. But I'm tired of hiding and I want the life I would have had if I had been the Gryffindor that I am six years ago. I only realized what I was missing out on coming back here.  
  
"Ginny, I don't know why you left, but it really was fate that you moved in right across the hall. We are destined to be together forever, but if you don't see it that way, then I guess that I will move on. (But the fact that you haven't had a date in the six years you've been Lois is going to make it hard for me to give you up.)  
  
"Forever Love, Harry James Evans Potter."  
  
When he finished putting the letter in an envelope, he was surprised to find an owl sitting on his desk.  
  
"Pig! I haven't seen you in years," Harry told the still hyperactive little owl. "Are you up for a long flight?" The little owl just twittered happily. He quickly tied the letter to Pig's leg. "I'm going to send you as close as I can to where you have to go, but you still have to fly a while? Can you take this to Lois Westly? Or better known as Ginny? You remember Ginny don't you Pig?" If it was possible, the owl seemed happier. With a smile, Harry said the spell and Pig was somewhere in the woods around Portland.  
  
^*^*^*^  
  
"Sirius, what do you think of what Harry did to Voldermort?" asked Hermione as she walked into the kitchen.  
  
"What do you mean, 'what do you think of what Harry did to Voldermort?' There was nothing wrong with what he did," Sirius replied as he placed a plate of what looked like mashed chocolate cake in front of James.  
  
"Are you giving my son chocolate cake for lunch?"  
  
"Uh, no." Hermione gave him a glare that reminded him of what McGonagall did when the Maurders where trying to lie and didn't really succeed. "He just ate a banana."  
  
"Ron,"  
  
"Yes darling?"  
  
"Did he just have a banana?"  
  
Ron looked up from feeding Aubrey. "That could have been what hit the back of my head. Siri, can you give him something a little healthier to go with the cake?"  
  
"Wow. Ron, I'm impressed," Remus said as he added a few grapes and crackers to the plate.  
  
"Well, one of the first things I learned with Hermione is that desert really does come after you eat your meal." They all laughed.  
  
Hermione turned back to Sirius. "So you're not upset with the fact that your godson, who was nineteen at the time, basically cut a man to shreds?"  
  
Ron, Remus, and Sirius gave her strange looks. "Herm, where's this coming from?"  
  
"Well, you know how we've been looking for Harry for six years now. We never did figure out why he left. I've been thinking about it and I think that he might think that we would turn our backs on him because of what he did. That this wizarding world would loose hope in him because he does have a dark side."  
  
"That makes sense. But he should have realized that we would never turn our backs on him. Wouldn't he have?"  
  
"Well, why else would he have left?"  
  
There was silence.  
  
^*^*^*^  
  
Meanwhile, six thousand [I think that's right, if I'm wrong, somebody please tell me!!] miles away, two six-year-old twins were currently sneaking into their mother's room.  
  
"Mommy! Time to wake up!" they yelled as the jumped on the bed.  
  
"Nicole, Dylan, what did I tell you about waking me up?"  
  
"We can only wake you up before nine on the weekends if there is someone at the door, on the phone, there is a disaster, or one of us is bleeding. Or James wants to see you," answered Nicole in an exasperated monotone voice like she had recited the same speech every weekend. Which she had.  
  
Ginny blushed at the last sentence. She really missed James. She had just gotten a letter from him, but it wasn't the same. "So then what are you doing waking me up at," she turned and looked at the clock on her nightstand, "eight thirty."  
  
"An owl flew through my window and woke me up. We've tried to get it back outside, but he's almost like Nick," answered Dylan. Nick lived down the hall and couldn't seem to sit still.  
  
"Owl?" asked Ginny was the said owl flew into her room and finally settled on her bed. "Oh. That owl." It was then that she noticed the letter tied to his leg and that the owl had a very strong resemblance to Pig, her brother's owl. 'Has something bad happened?' was all she could seem to think. She untied the letter and was surprised to see James' handwriting on the envelope.  
  
When she finished writing the letter, she was beyond shocked. A huge earthquake could come along and level the building and it would be questionable whether she would notice.  
  
"Dylan, Nicole. Get ready to go out. We're going to London for a few days." 


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: I thought I would try to get the next chapter out today considering the fact that this next week is going to be very busy. I have two midterms and OHS is this Friday!! (I'm excited about OHS, not the midterms. And don't worry about what it is, its some dorm thing.) So I thought I would be the nice author and give her readers another chapter, only because you asked nicely. Sorry if this is not up to par with what you have been reading, I really wanted to get this to you beautiful readers tonight.  
  
Thank you to my Chapter 7 reviewers:  
  
Beanie  
  
Tiger x3 (Did you review 3 times or did 3 different people with that name review? I was confused!)  
  
Anaxandra  
  
Harry's Sister  
  
MegimiFuu  
  
Veronik  
  
A.Dee the Anglophile  
  
Minerva-Severus-Dumbledor  
  
MerlinHalliwell  
  
Erika  
  
Pixyfairy120  
  
Lil Lupin  
  
*^*^*^*  
  
Harry sighed as he arrived at his aunt and uncles house. This was one place that he really never wanted to visit again. 'Lets just get this over with,' he thought as he entered. He directed the same people that had helped him with his cousin's house to get started. He had brought them all coffee and doughnuts for breakfast in the hopes that they would be inspired to work harder. So far it was working beautifully.  
  
So when six o'clock rolled around, all the painting was done. He stayed for an extra half hour after that to put the finishing touches on two rooms so he could finish them. 'If all goes well, we could be done by tomorrow,' was his last thought as he locked up.  
  
He was in such a good mood that he didn't notice voices coming from his hotel room as he stuck his key in the lock. The first sign that he had of someone else in his room was two six year olds attaching themselves to his legs.  
  
"James! Are you going to take us to the zoo now?" asked Dylan.  
  
Harry just stood their for a few seconds taking it all in. "I take it that you got my letter then?" he asked as his eyes came across Lois/Ginny sitting on his bed.  
  
"Of course." She stood up and crossed over to him. Nicole and Dylan by this point had grown bored and went back to their coloring on the floor.  
  
"So?" asked Harry.  
  
"So what?" Ginny slyly answered.  
  
"Will you marry me?" Harry asked again.  
  
"Are you asking me as James or Harry?"  
  
"Both."  
  
"Mmm, and I thought it was illegal to be married to two different people."  
  
"So is that a yes?"  
  
"No," Ginny answered in amusement as she watched the love of her life (and the father of her children) face fall in rejection. "But this is." She then reached up and gave him a kiss that showed just how much she loved him. They were only broken apart by two hard to ignore, "Ewww!"  
  
"Quiet you!" said Harry. He turned back to his fiancé and asked, "When are you going to get rid of this brown? You look so much better as a red head."  
  
"And what about you? Those brown eyes look like dirt in comparison to the shinning emeralds I'm used to."  
  
"I guess we'll both have to stop hiding, huh?"  
  
"I guess so." They both pulled out their wands and said the spell that would show their true features.  
  
"Mommy?"  
  
They then turned to the stunned children sitting on the ground.  
  
"You guys remember when I told you that I was hiding from my family?" She received two nods before she continued. "Well, I had to change what I looked like so they couldn't find me. I even had to change my name."  
  
Her children looked at each other before Dylan asked, "did you have to change us?"  
  
"No sweetie."  
  
"Then why did you change James?" asked Nicole.  
  
"I didn't. He was someone I was hiding from. It was fate that brought us to the same city."  
  
"What's our real name then?" Dylan asked.  
  
"Well, my name is Ginny Weasley, you are Dylan Weasley, your sister is Nicole Weasley, and this is Harry Potter." She paused before she said, "your father."  
  
Even though Harry knew that he had kids, this still came as a little shock to his system. To actually hear it from their mother made it just a little bit truer.  
  
"So James really is our daddy? We can call him that for real now and not just pretend?" asked an excited Nicole.  
  
"His name's Harry, and yes, if that's okay with him," replied Ginny as she looked up at the raven-haired wizard.  
  
Dylan looked at his mother with a funny expression. "Why wouldn't it be okay, we've been calling him daddy for years."  
  
"Oh really?" Ginny looked at her fiancé and saw what she assumed was supposed to be an innocent look. It wasn't working very well.  
  
"Uh, how about dinner?" asked Harry.  
  
*^*^*^*^*  
  
The next day (Friday) went by really quickly for Harry. He finished his aunt and uncles house two days ahead of what he thought he was going to and meet Ginny, Nicole, and Dylan at a restaurant near the hotel.  
  
It would be just his luck that Ron and Hermione would decide to eat at that exact same restaurant at the exact same time.  
  
"Ginny?" said Ron as he spotted his younger sister.  
  
Ginny turned and said, "Ron? Is that you?"  
  
"Ginny! Oh my gosh!" cried the red head as he engulfed the sister that he hadn't seen in six years in a huge hug.  
  
"This is fantastic! We have to sit together, come on," Ginny said as she pulled her brother towards their table.  
  
"Wait, are you sure? And is there enough room for Herm and the kids?"  
  
"Of course, the more the merrier!" Ginny went over to Hermione and greeted her with the same enthusiasm she had for her brother and then proceeded to drag them and their two children over to Harry and their kids. Who were currently seeing who could blow the best bubbles in their water.  
  
She came up and smacked Harry on his head before he said, "Harry! You should know better then to play with your food!"  
  
"What? Its not food and I wasn't playing. I was, um, help me out here," he whispered to his cohorts.  
  
"Exercising," Nicole said between giggles.  
  
"That's right, I was exercising my lungs. You never know when that particular exercise is going to come in handy," Harry said with a not so innocent smile on his face.  
  
"If I hadn't seen you in six years and was beyond glad that you are still alive, I would be threatening you as only an older brother can."  
  
Harry's eyes grew wide when he heard that familiar voice behind him. He stood up turned around. "Ron."  
  
"Harry."  
  
Harry soon found himself with an arm full of a male Weasley. "I've missed you too," Harry said, a little on the sarcastic side.  
  
"Where've you been?" asked Ron after they were all sitting.  
  
"For the past few weeks I've actually been in England."  
  
"Really, how come you never looked us up?" Ron asked a little on the defensive side.  
  
"I didn't need to."  
  
During this conversation, Hermione and Ginny were trying to hide their smiles. They succeeded in hiding them from the thickheaded red head and no one else.  
  
"Why not? Were you never going to come back? Were you just going to let us think that you were dead forever?"  
  
"No. I didn't need to because I ran into you at Mutt's Domain."  
  
"When did you, wait, how do you know what Sirius and Remus are calling their house? Only my family and their designer know that."  
  
"Ron, I am the designer."  
  
"No, the designer's name is James Evans."  
  
Harry didn't say anything and let his best friend figure it out himself.  
  
"Oh. Why didn't I see it before! Why didn't you tell us before?"  
  
"I was scared. Nothing had changed."  
  
"Then what changed?"  
  
"I had been hiding and running for six years, trying not to let the past catch up to me. When I got here, I was still hiding and running. But the past finally caught up with me and I realized that I had to live with what I did. I had to forgive myself before I could face my family. I just recently came to terms with everything and now I can only hope that everyone can forgive me for what I did," Harry said quietly.  
  
"I think the only thing that they might not forgive you for is telling them who you were when you first arrived. But I think your godfather will be too happy to have you back to even care."  
  
"I just hope he doesn't kill me."  
  
"He might. But only because he won't let you breath when he sees you."  
  
Harry smiled. 'Why exactly did I run away again?' `Because you were scared.` 'Oh, right.'  
  
The rest of the evening the Golden Trio (now quartet) spent catching up on the past six years.  
  
*^*^*^*^  
  
Meanwhile, at Mutt's Domain, Draco and Seamus were giving their findings to Sirius and Remus.  
  
"So, let me get this straight. Harry and Ginny have been living across the hall from each other for six years. But they don't know who the other person really is. And they have been really good friends for those same six years," asked Sirius  
  
"Yeah, I think that's right," answered Seamus.  
  
"Unbelievable. So where are they now?"  
  
"Well, we tracked Harry to this design firm. Little hard to get information once we got there because we knew that he had changed his name and appearance. But we did learn that there was someone who was working there who is about the same age as Harry would have been, so we think its him," said Draco.  
  
"Wait, what do you mean was working?"  
  
"You'll never believe this. He was transferred to the London branch."  
  
At this news, Sirius sat down hard onto Remus's lap. The shock he was feeling was apparent on his face.  
  
"What about Ginny?" asked Remus.  
  
"She recently asked for a transfer to London. The neighbors say that her and the kids were coming to London for a week or so to see Harry. So she is also in the country right now."  
  
Sirius suddenly asked, "What's the name Harry was going by?"  
  
Draco and Seamus exchanged a look before Draco answered, "James Evans."  
  
A/N: I'm thinking I might have a flashback to before he left, you know, the relationship between Ginny and Harry? And I've also just realized that there aren't much Harry/Sirius interactions. I'll try to remedy that in the future. 


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: I can't say I'm sorry enough!! Everything caught up with me last week (2 finals) and this week (final and project that I really don't want to do!). I know this is a little short, but I wanted to get something out to my beautiful readers soon! I apologize again for the delay, and I'll try to get another chapter up this weekend (Memorial Day weekend!!). I'm not making any promises.  
  
Thank you to all my beautiful chapter 8 reviewers:  
  
Anaxandra  
  
A.Dee the Anglophile  
  
The wolf of were  
  
Litine  
  
MegumiFuu  
  
Pixyfairy120  
  
Harry's Sister  
  
Minerva-Severus-Dumbledor  
  
Tiger  
  
Twinkle  
  
Lil Lupin  
  
Erika  
  
^*^*^*^*^*  
  
Harry, disguised as James, arrived at Mutt's Domain Monday morning with a smile. Ginny, Nicole, and Dylan had stopped by the Burrow the day before and had gotten reacquainted with her family. They knew that she was engaged to the father of her children, but she had refused to say any more.  
  
"You'll find out soon! There are a few things that need to be worked out, and then you will be the first, well, maybe not the first, but you'll know!"  
  
"But Ginny,"  
  
"Mum, you've waited six years, I think you can wait a little longer."  
  
And surprisingly, Molly Weasley had nothing more to say. For an hour.  
  
"Good morning Sirius, Remus!" Harry yelled as he walked in the door.  
  
"James? I thought you weren't going to be here until next week?" asked Remus as he walked into the entry.  
  
Harry smiled. "It went a little faster than I thought it would. Dudley hired help."  
  
"Dudley? As in Dursley?" Sirius asked as he joined them in the entryway.  
  
"That would be the one. Why, do you know him?"  
  
"You can say that. So, what are you doing here?"  
  
"Working," Harry said very slowly. "You do want your house finished don't you?"  
  
"But we thought you were going back home for a while."  
  
"Oh, the people I was going to go home to see came here." Harry's face erupted with a huge grin as he remembered what exactly he did that weekend.  
  
"Somebody must have had a good weekend."  
  
"I got engaged."  
  
Sirius started chocking on tea (at least that's what he blamed it on, even though there was no tea in sight) and Remus had to hit him on his back to get him to breath again. "What? To who?"  
  
"The love of my life, the mother of my children, the woman who I have known for fourteen years, loved for nine, and can't wait to spend the rest of my life with."  
  
"What's her name?" asked Sirius as he gestured to the kitchen.  
  
At this, Harry froze, he was already digging himself a hole. 'Just tell him, it will be good to get it all out in the open.'  
  
"Harry, what's her name?" Sirius asked again with a slight smirk on his face.  
  
Harry sighed. "Its Ginny, I'm engaged. Wait a second, did you just call me Harry?"  
  
"Maybe," answered his godfather with a distinct twinkle in his eyes.  
  
Harry looked over at his godfather, caught the twinkle, and gasped (a manly gasp of course). "You know! How long have you known!"  
  
"Draco and Seamus told us on Saturday. Why didn't you tell us, Harry? We could have helped you."  
  
"Are you sure? I had killed a man and then mutilated his corpse. At the time I was so ashamed of what I had done that I couldn't face myself, let alone my family."  
  
"Harry, you didn't do anything wrong. You had too many years of anger that needed to be let out. I probably would have done the same thing."  
  
"Why didn't you tell us when you came back?" Remus asked quietly.  
  
"I was still ashamed. I didn't know what you felt about what I did and by the time that I did know, it was too late. I promise you that now I'm back for good, except when I have to go back to Portland to get my stuff."  
  
"You had better be because I'm not letting you out of my sight. You are not leaving this house until I feel confident that you won't run out on us again. We're your family and it's our duty to hold you captive."  
  
Remus rolled his eyes. "Padfoot, be reasonable. He just said that he's not going to be leaving. Besides, didn't you hear earlier when he said that he was engaged to Ginny? I don't think the Weasley's are going to be letting her go anytime soon. Especially considering the fact that there are grandkids involved."  
  
"That's right, when do I get to meet my grandgodkids?"  
  
"Grandgodkids? Is that even anything?"  
  
"Of course, and if I don't see their heads today, you can bet that nobody will be seeing your head ever again," threatened Sirius.  
  
This time it was Harry that rolled his eyes. "Ginny said she was going to stop by for lunch anyways. She wants to see you guys anyways. Why, I don't know," Harry finished with a smirk.  
  
"Joke all you want Talon, you're not leaving. You still have a whole house to finish."  
  
"Well, then what are we standing around here for? Lets go paint!" Harry paused. "On second thought, Sirius, why don't you go to the Burrow and tell Ginny to get our stuff and bring it here, if that's alright with you?"  
  
"Are you trying to get rid of me?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Fine. Can I just ask you one thing though?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
"Can you take the Glamour or whatever off. I want to see what you really look like."  
  
Harry pulled out his wand and quickly took off the spell to reveal his ebony black hair and troubled emerald eyes. Sirius' eyes became a little misty before he nodded his head and turned towards the fireplace. He only got two steps before he turned around and wrapped his godson up in a huge bear hug. "I'm glad your back Harry."  
  
"I'm glad I'm back too Sirius."  
  
Remus couldn't stand being on the outside so soon he gave both Sirius and Harry a bear hug. "Well, I'm glad that there is someone else to pick on Padfoot here. He's getting a little cocky."  
  
Harry laughed. He really had missed this. "Remus, how about we go paint? You can catch me up on what's been happening for the past six years."  
  
"Hey, what about me?" whined Sirius.  
  
"I don't trust you to tell me, you'll go on and on in detail about Quiddich, which I already know about, and then you'll tell me things I really don't want to know. I can trust Remus to give me the honest story about what I want to know."  
  
"Fine. I'm going to go see my goddaughter-in-law. To be," he quickly added. He huffed his way to the fireplace only to apperate right in front of it.  
  
"Does he do that often?" Harry asked shaking his head at his godfather's weird (weirder than normal) behavior.  
  
"Only when he's happy and excited. It really is good to have you back Harry," Remus said.  
  
"I am really sorry that I just ran away like that. I felt so ashamed." "You don't have to explain to us. Let's just move forward to the next chapter of our lives and forget about what happened."  
  
"Sounds like a plan." 


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: I am soooooooo incredibly sorry that it took me so long to update! My muse left me, then school over took me, and then the sun came out, and of course I had to frolic in that! (If you are from the Northwest, you know what I'm talking about.) And I am also really sorry to say that I think that this is going to be the last chapter of Designer's Challenge. I am leaving it at a good place (at least in my opinion) and am thinking of making a sequel. Or epilogue. Please don't hate me!! I love you all!!  
  
Thank you to my chapter 9 reviewers:  
  
Cat  
  
Calm Serene  
  
MegumiFuu  
  
Litine  
  
Lil Lupin  
  
Minerva-Severus-Dumbledor  
  
Pixyfairy120  
  
Harry's Sister  
  
Erika  
  
BloodIce (chapter 2)  
  
Love you all!!  
  
*^*^*^*^  
  
"Ginny! I need to talk to you!" yelled Sirius as he walked into the Burrow.  
  
"Sirius, what are you doing here?" Molly asked.  
  
"I was told that your daughter was here."  
  
"Ginny? What do you need her for?"  
  
"I just need to talk to her, and possibly see my greatgodkids," answered Sirius with a wink.  
  
"They're in the kitchen."  
  
Sirius said thanks and walked to the kitchen to see pandemonium. Fred and George had brought the newest products from their shop and they were currently testing them out on their nieces, nephews, and Ron. "Is Ginny in here anywhere?"  
  
The only person not affected by any of the pranks looked up. "Sirius?"  
  
"Always."  
  
She ran over to him and gave him a huge hug. "It is so good to see you again. How have you been?"  
  
"Things are looking up. How about you?"  
  
"As well as can be expected when you have kids."  
  
"Speaking of,"  
  
"Siri, I'm so sorry that I left like that. I didn't think that I could live without Harry and I thought you would all be so ashamed."  
  
"Ginny, it's alright. I'm putting the past behind me and am moving on. You're here now and that's what matters." Sirius paused. "So, where are my greatgodkids?"  
  
The redhead smiled. "Nicole, Dylan, there's someone I'd like you to meet."  
  
Two redheaded six year olds came bouncing over with huge smiles on their faces. "Is he another uncle? 'Cause I think we have enough of those now," Nicole asked.  
  
"No, he's not your uncle. This is Sirius, he's your daddy's godfather."  
  
"Can you really become a dog?" asked Dylan.  
  
"How do you know about that?" asked his mother.  
  
"Daddy told me," was the simple answer.  
  
"He did, did he? And when was this?"  
  
"When we asked if he had a mommy and a daddy too. He said that they had died a long time ago but that he had a godfather who could turn into a dog," replied Nicole.  
  
"We didn't believe him. Nobody can turn into an animal. But then he turned into a bird, so we believed him!" Dylan added.  
  
By this point, everyone in the room was silent and staring wide eyed at Nicole and Dylan. Ginny was the first to recover. "And why did you never tell me this?"  
  
"He asked us not to. He said it was our little secret."  
  
There was silence again before Dylan asked. "So, can you change into a dog?"  
  
Sirius smiled before there was a pop and a dog standing where a man previously was. "Wow!" Padfoot was immediately 'attacked' by two green- eyed children who pulled him outside to play. Not that he was complaining or anything. Never mind the fact that he couldn't, but if he could, he wouldn't. (If that made any sense.)  
  
"I thought he had something to tell me," asked Ginny as she watched them go outside.  
  
"He'll tell you later. Once he gets acquainted with those two. Those two sure are a handful. I don't know how you did it," said Ron.  
  
"James. Or Harry. He was there for me every step of the way. Even though we really didn't know who each other were, he was still there for me every step of the way. He was great. He really did spoil them rotten, just like they were his own. Which they are, but he didn't know that at the time. For the last year, he has been trying to convince me to let me redo their rooms. I haven't let him because I was afraid they would never want to leave their rooms."  
  
"You do realize that he designed their rooms at Mutt's, don't you?" asked Hermione.  
  
From her reaction, it was obvious that she hadn't. "Please tell me they aren't orange or red."  
  
Everyone laughed. "He told us that he would never design an orange room. Ron just about threw a fit!" Bill replied.  
  
"I did not!" said Ron. Everyone just gave him a look. "Oh, all right. It was a little fit. But how can you have a house that doesn't have an orange room!"  
  
"Very easily," replied his wife before she gave him a kiss.  
  
"So, what do the rooms look like? They're Quiddich themed, aren't they?"  
  
Hermione pulled a notebook out of her bag and flipped through it looking for the appropriate design. She pushed the notebook in front of her sister- in-law and smiled. "No Quiddich, no red, and no orange."  
  
Ginny looked at the designs in front of her and gasped. They were perfect. They suited her kids perfectly. "I never knew he was this talented," she finally said.  
  
"You've been around him for six years and you never saw his work?" a very disbelieving Hermione asked.  
  
"He always kept work separate. He would occasionally ask me a question about something, like what color would look good with something, but I never saw his work, no."  
  
"What about his place? How as that decorated?"  
  
Ginny smiled. "Like the Burrow. Every time I walked in there, it was like coming home. He had so much stuff just everywhere; it was a wonder he knew where everything was. Everyone I've talked to who's been to him place said it made you feel like coming home after being away for years."  
  
Just then Sirius burst inside followed by two screaming children. "Somebody help me! They sea monsters are coming to get me!" He ran and hid behind Ginny hoping she could save him.  
  
Ginny just smiled and said, "The sea monsters are attacking again! Well, I think its time to call The Hero."  
  
"No, not The Hero!" Dylan and Nicole yelled in practiced synchrony.  
  
"Yes, The Hero. He will come in and tame those sea monsters and save the day!"  
  
"Can we just have The Damsel save the day today? She gives cookies and hugs. The Hero just tickles us. And we were just tickled by The Victim," Dylan whined.  
  
Ginny let out a false laboring sigh. "I guess this one time The Damsel can save the day." She suddenly rushed forward and engulfed her kids in a huge hug, bringing all three to the floor in laughter. When they finally sat up, Ginny said, "I think your Uncle Bill has some cookies, if you still want some." Nicole and Dylan looked at each other before rushing to their uncle and giving him puppy dog eyes until he relented and gave them cookies.  
  
"Oh, Ginny, before I forget. The real reason I came over was because Harry told me to tell you that you guys are going to be moving into Mutt's sometime this week, if that's alright with you."  
  
"Sure, why not. The hotel is a little cramped for four people."  
  
"Oh, and I know you guys volunteered to help next week, but if you could come and help starting tomorrow, that would be even better."  
  
Everyone agreed and promised to be there tomorrow morning sometime. Sirius was then pulled outside again to play by his greatgodchildren as well as all the other children of the house. He spent the rest of the day entertaining the kids, much to the delight of their parents.  
  
*^*^*^*^*  
  
Meanwhile, back at Mutt's Domain, Harry and Remus were making, painting, upholstering, and arranging furniture.  
  
"So, Harry," said Remus.  
  
"So, Moony," retorted Harry.  
  
Remus gave a semi-glare before continuing. "What are your plans now that you're back? You do realize that the wizarding world is going to be thrilled to have you back and that this won't stay secret for long."  
  
Harry sighed. "All I want to do right now is settle down with Ginny and the kids and make up for lost time."  
  
"Are you going to keep on designing or do you want to do something else?"  
  
"I don't know. I really would like to keep on doing this because its something I'm good at and it makes me happy to bring other people happiness. Plus, I get to set the hours so that helps a lot."  
  
"Would you want to play Quiddich or teach?"  
  
Harry paused before answering. "Probably not. I'd be in the spotlight too much if I were to play Quiddich and if I were to teach; I would be away from my family for too long. I think I'll just stick with what I'm doing. Besides, I've already got a few jobs lined up," he finished with a smile.  
  
"That you do. Well, I'm just glad you're back."  
  
"I am too, Moony, I am too." 


	11. Epilogue

A/N: I've decided that I can't write a sequel to this. After reading the horror that happened in the fifth book, I just don't have the inspiration. It saddens me to even think about it.  
  
Daily Prophet  
  
BOY-WHO-LIVES FOUND!  
  
The happy face that Harry's godfather, Sirius Black, has been sporting for the past few months (and scaring his department with) can finally be explained. Nearly seven years after he defeated Voldermort, Harry Potter has returned to the wizarding world. The Minster of Magic, Arthur Weasley, was quoted as saying, "He had a lot to think about before he could face his family and friends. Were just glad he's back." When asked where our hero has been for the past six and a half years, our hero just smiled and said, "three hours from a beach and three hours from snow" leaving the wizarding world with more questions than answers.   
  
As to the rumors that he is married and has six-year-old twins, Mr. Potter had this to say; "My family and I would like to stay out of the spotlight and just live our lives. My wife and I would like our kids to spend the next four years before they go to Hogwarts as normal as possible." How normal their lives will be with The-Boy-Who-Lived as their father is anyone's guess. As to the rumor that the new hip interior designer, James Evans is actually Harry Potter, Mr. Potter replied with, "do you think I could really design a room that people would like?"  
  
From all the staff of the Daily Prophet and the rest of the wizarding world, welcome back Mr. Potter and may the rest of your life be better than the beginning.  
  
Written by: Lois Westly 


End file.
